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Streak Halted in Wild Way Errant pitching by the Cincinnati Steam proved costly as they fell to the Xenia Athletes in Action 4-1 Sunday night. Wild pitches by Jake Stapf and Charlie Leesman allowed two runs to cross the plate, giving Xenia all the cushion they would need to take care of Cincinnati. The Steam jumped out to an early lead in the top half of the first inning. Steve Brown doubled to right center providing the Steam with a runner in scoring position with only one out. Tommy Nurre knocked a double of his own into right center and brought Brown in to score, giving the early Steam a 1-0 lead. Xenia responded in their half of the first with a run of their own to tie the game up at 1. Ernie Olivarez singled back up the middle and advanced to second on a Jake Stapf wild pitch. Matt Creel moved Olivarez to third on a ground out to the pitcher, but the Steam did the rest of the damage for Xenia. Olivarez was then able to score on another Jake Stapf wild pitch, tying the score 1-1. The Athletes in Action were able to keep the Steam bats quiet and runners off the base paths the rest of the night, cashing in on scoring opportunities in the fourth and eighth innings. In the bottom of the fourth, Daniel Bodemer led off with a double down the right field line. Bodemer advanced to third on a Jordon Vierra ground out to second base. For the second time, Xenia was able to score off a wild pitch, this time from Charlie Leesman giving the Athetes in Action a 2-1 lead. Xenia added some insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to keep the Steam at bay. Case Rigby led off with a single through the left side of the infield and advanced to second on a Daniel Bodemer ground out to second base. Jordon Vierra was hit by a pitch and Anthony Spagnolo walked loading the bases for Ryan Yezak. Yezak singled to third baseman Jake Brown who was unable to make a play, allowing Rigby to score and keep the bases loaded. Andrew Page then singled in Vierra to give the Athletes in Action their final run making the score 4-1. The Steam were unable to produce the late inning heroics they had so many times in the first half of the season. Zach Hurley led off with a single, but was soon erased from the base paths when Tommy Nurre hit into a 6-4-3 double play. Brandon Besl grounded out to third to end the Steams hopes of a late inning comeback. Most of the Steam are off until a Saturday, July 19 double header at Lake Erie beginning at 1:30. Cincinnati will return home for a double header Sunday, July 20 against Stark County with the first pitch scheduled for 1:05. Zach Hurley, Tommy Nurre, Billy O’Conner, Brad Gschwind, Brandon Besl, Ryan Kruzska and Brian Sand will be back in action on Wednesday night, July 16 at Western Hills High School where they will be featured in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League All-Star game, showcasing the best talent from around the league. The first pitch will be at 6:35 with promotions and giveaways throughout the game. WP – Black (1-0) LP – Leesman (1-1) Sv – Creel (3) Cincinnati 100 000 000 1 7 0 Xenia 100 100 02X 4 10 1 Hitting Leaders: Steam – Fields (2-3) Brown (1-4, 1 run) Nurre (1-4, 1 rbi) AIA – Page (2-4, 1 rbi) Rigby (2-4, 1 run) Bodemer (1-4, 1 run)
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